Caught in the crossfire
by tamarindblue
Summary: 'Like Mother, Like Daughter' Betty was always told she resembled her mother, and by extend was beautiful. Now she thinks, she resembles her mother more than should be. She resembles her in all the wrong ways. It was the Ross' women's curse. Always torn, always caught in the crossfire between people who love them and they love back


**In the crossfire**

Everything is a blur.

_'Like Mother, Like Daughter'_

Betty was always told she resembled her mother, and by extend was beautiful, so beautiful she could make hearts ache.

Now she thinks, she resembles her mother more than should be.

She resembles her in all the wrong ways.

With great beauty came great misfortune, she learnt, after all her mother wasn't marked for long life and she seemed to share that particular fate with her, now that her blood is splurting out of her heart.

Great beauty, coupled with a sharp mind and a concious, the equation for misery and beyond.

_'Betty, please'_ he cries _'don't slip away from me, not now ... not ever .. for god's sake'_

Bruce's voice was always soft, always so gentle and somewhat sad.

His voice .. it was the first thing that pulled her towards him, so starkly dissimilar from her father's boisterous, commanding voice.

_'Please Betty, we could fix this'_

He was a fixer, always good at fixing things yet ironically never them, never himself. Such a cosmic Joke thrown to his face.

Being in his arms has always felt right. and she now thinks it fits perfectly that her resolution, her ultimate release would be in his arms.

His hand caresses her face, brushes against her hair as he holds her tight towards him. He huddles above her as if he could shield her from the inevitable.

That was Bruce … always trying to cheat the inevitable.

And always failing.

She could feel him hovering, treading the line between Hulk and Bruce

It shows as his eyes flicker between empathic blue and neon green.

_'Don't do this to me, Please … to Us'_

Hulk is crying as well.

* * *

Betty was loveable, she knows she was and she now begs not to be ... She will be leaving them all soon after all and it will be plenty of saddness and heartache.

Plenty of love meant plenty of hurt. She used to wonder what it would have been like had they never loved her in the first place, it is useless now. But she can't help but think her books had been settled. If she had hurt them, they hurt her as well.

* * *

_'Betty'_ Leonard shouts, all reservation, firmness and level headness thrown to the wind.

Leonard feels guilty, his Jealousy has been his downfall and she wasn't blameless .

She has never moved on from Bruce.

And if she wishes to do one thing now, a final gesture of friendship for the good man; it would be to release him from his guilt.

* * *

His eyes are stony and for the first time in his entire life the general is petrified.

He doesn't speak.

The general only stares from afar at his daughter, his mortal enemy and the other guy.

All denial, regret and guilt pour out like the autumn rain above his head.

The general loved his wife, despite how callous he was. Betty knows he did.

That was the reason his miserable wife stayed, stayed despite everything, despite being gnawed at by grief and emptiness. It slowly killed her while he helplessly watched, just like the moment.

Betty could even swear. he sported the exact same look.

The general could do nothing for he wasn't cut out for being a family's man however hard he tried.

And there lied the core of his guilt.

His poor wife was caught in the cross fire between her love for him and his duty as much as Betty was caught between his pride and his love for her.

And now she thinks, it has always been her case.

It was the Ross' women's curse.

Always torn, always caught in the crossfire between people who love them and they love back; caught between Bruce and her father, between Leonard and Bruce, between Bruce and Hulk.

And it is befitting now that they all stand helpless as she is hit as collateral in the crossfire , as she fades away from them .. just like her mother.

* * *

**This story is 11 years late, obviously based on the 2008 film which was one of the best Marvel films ever (In fact, the soundtrack alone is better than most of their recent movies altogether).**

**Layered, sensitive and sophisticated, it is sad they killed off the franchise and while both Ruffalo's and Bana's versions of Bruce banner are very good, Ed Norton's was by far superior in characterisation and execution, less commercial than Ruffalo's, more sophisticated than Bana's.**

**Betty is my personal favourite marvel Heroine because she is Human: her reactions are normal. She is susceptible, empathic and vulnerable without being weak .. a perfect balance of a character. Both Connelly and Tyler did her Justice in the films.**

**That being said, Pardon me for the rant and hopefully you enjoyed the introspect.**


End file.
